My daughter and I were recently in the mood for some ramen noodles after a Seattle Times foodie review of ramen restaurants in the Seattle area. The writer boldly stated that “Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is easily the best ramen in Western Washington.” A statement like that couldn’t go unchecked. I had to see if he was right.

Hot ramen seemed better and better as the cold rain started falling on us. The wait was short and I quickly ordered the “house” broth tonkotsu shio ramen. It took a long time for the piping hot ramen bowl to come out but it was worth the wait. The complex broth had a distinct, meaty body. You could literally taste the pork bones that were simmered for 20 hours to make the cloudy broth. The noodles were just the right firmness and texture. The pork belly was moist and tasty. The cloud ear fungus was a crunchy treat.

Tonkotsu shio ramen

My daughter tried the tonkotsu shio ramen with a soy sauce broth base. She was equally impressed. Her broth had a stronger and saltier soy sauce flavor.

With all the new construction around downtown Bellevue, parking can be a problem however. Once the hundreds of new apartments under construction are rented out, expect huge lines at this comfort food noodle house. So try it before the hungry hordes of tech workers descend on it.